


underappreciated but not lacking

by ephemeralite



Category: Original Work
Genre: Carter is my child, Dialogue Heavy, Do it, Engagement, M/M, Modern Era, POV Original Character, Phone Calls & Telephones, Scandal, Superheroes, Threats, Threats of Social Ruin, also carter is a pole dancer, and like she was but she's really messed up and so is peter so still, can you guess what it is lmao, if you wanna talk to me abt my characters?, mentions of having sex with a married dude, modern doesn't even look like a word tbh, never mentioned if it was cheating or if the wife was cool with it, not relevant but Important, off screen tho, well i mean they're my characters so
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-25
Updated: 2017-08-25
Packaged: 2018-12-19 14:23:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,093
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11899611
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ephemeralite/pseuds/ephemeralite
Summary: Carter is annoyed. Why? Because he wants to go on a very important date with his boyfriend but certain... situations seem to be keeping them apart. Situations that look quite a bit like a villain with literally the dumbest name in existence.





	underappreciated but not lacking

**Author's Note:**

> hey so this was something i wrote a while ago and i decided why not share? 
> 
> i've had this account for forever and i've always wanted to post something so, here you go..
> 
> ALSO:  
> Carter, Peter, and Adrien are my ocs and I love them

* * *

"Hello, this is Peter Narm speaking. How may I help you?" The man on the phone sounds pleasant and normal, but not overly nice. The type of person to hold the elevator door open for you and proceed to not look you in the eye the entire way up.

"Is this Nature's Call?" Carter asks, not hiding his agitation. Carter knows better than anyone else how horrible this man can be, apart from the Jade Protector himself. Who is his boyfriend, but hopefully not for much longer, which is why he's calling.

"No. Why do you ask?" The villain asks. If Carter hadn't been listening for the slight hesitation, or the change of tone, he might have been convinced. Narm really did do a good job sounding polite and offended at the same time. The blonde assumes the surprise isn't entirely faked.

"That's good acting. Might have even had me for a second if I wasn't already so sure." He pauses here is and is unsurprised by the man's scoff. "However, I don't have time to pretend I believe you. What I need is for us to come to an agreement." He leaves his statement intentionally open.

"Oh? And what is that agreement?" Narm asks, trying and failing to hide his curiosity. He wasn't as sharp as Carter had expected. Hadn't even asked how he had found out the villain's identity, or even his personal phone number. Which is well enough, really. He honestly doesn't have but two hours til Adrien came home, and then only three and a half hours after that to send with him before Carter himself had to leave. Still, he thought the city's villain would pose as more of a challenge.

"I need you to fuck off for a day. No attacks on the city, no threats, no calling out to Protector." He stops to let his words sink in for a moment before plowing on. "And, before you turn me down, consider that I found not only your identity but your personal phone number, which isn't listed anywhere open to the public."

Narm is silent for a moment. It could be a second, could be a minute, Carter has no clue. He may or may not be holding his breath. It would make his life infinitely easier if he would just agree and everyone could go on their merry way. Of course the villain would ask one of the questions he didn't want to answer.

"Why call me specifically? There are multiple other villains. And why do you want a day free from my reign of terror?" Nature inquires rather arrogantly for someone completely at Carter's mercy. Carter barely keeps in his huff of annoyance but answers anyway. What choice does he have, really?

"Because it's the Protector and I's anniversary tomorrow and I have important events planned. Events involving rings. And if you fuck around tomorrow not only will I reveal your identity to the press, I will tell them about your brief but recorded affair with your sister's husband and his boyfriend." Carter pauses for a faux moment of consideration.

"Who knows, maybe the video will even get leaked. Or I could tell them about your involvement in quite a number of scandals? I'm sure you know the ones I'm speaking of." Carter's voice is deceptively calm with an undertone of what Carter hopes comes off as dangerous intent. He isn't kidding. All the information that could utterly destroy Peter Narm and Nature's Call with a few clicks is sitting in front of him on a flash drive.

If he thought the silence before lasted too long, this was practically an eternity and a half. However, Carter is hardly nervous. He was pretty content, actually. He'd finally get the chance to spend time uninterrupted with his beautiful boyfriend without either of them glancing over their shoulder every dive seconds.

(Or, Adrien still would, but Carter would be reassured that nothing was going to happen, which was enough. For the time being.)

"Alright." Narm tries to keep his voice firm but can't hide the crack in the beginning of the word. When he speaks again, after a brief pause, he is seemingly under control of himself. Carter breaths out a silent sound of relief. "Nothing tomorrow. It's a deal."

Carter doesn't bother with more than a hum as he hangs up his phone. He lets out a louder sigh and grins. Thank _god_  that went well. He grabs the flash drive and slips it into his pocket. Then he settles in to wait for Adrien with a satisfied smile on his face.

* * *

 

When the apartment door opens Carter's head shoots up. As Adrien walks in, he let's his grin grow. Adrien grins in return as he comes over to him on the coach and sits down pressed against him.

"Hey, what got you so excited? I haven't seen you smile this big since right before we first got together," Adrien asks with an adorable tilt of his head. Carter feels his chest tighten slightly as he looks at the brunette.

"Nothing. Just making some plans." Carter says with a playful hum. He runs his hand through Adrien's hair and leans into him, grinning. "Are you still good for dinner tomorrow?" Deflection, a liar's best friend. Carter kisses his boyfriend's cheek as he wakes for a response. He get's a hum of assent for all his troubles.

 _Yeah_ , Carter hums as he listens to Adrien give him a recount his day, _everything will be just fine_. Even if he has to take down a few foolish supervillains to keep it that way.

* * *

 

A year later, after the incident is but a memory in the wake of the couple's wedding, a package shows up at the door with a knock on the door.

It contains an almost too poorly placed bug that they speak their ' _thank you's_  into before promptly crushing and throwing out, a coffee machine (the one thing on their list they hadn't gotten, go figure), and a note:

  
_This one is a keeper. Keep him._  
_Hatefully, Nature's Call._

(Honestly, Carter doesn't even know who he's referring to. Carter was in no way _good_  but there was no way something like that was talking _to_  him either.)

The return address reads Narm's personal home address and Carter gives an annoyed huff as he secrets it away before Adrien notices and crumbles it into a ball. For good measure, he runs it under the faucet.

It's like Narm wasn't even _trying_ , anymore. Where's the fun in that?

* * *

 

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading, all. :)


End file.
